By Sara QuamWhile most people invest money in their hobbies, Mike Kinsinger’s hobby of singing karaoke has actually earned him about $6,000 in the last five years.The latest $1,000 came from the Pit Stop Warehouse in Valley Springs, S.D., after eight weeks of competing in "Warehouse Idol."Kinsinger said, "This is a karaoke bar, not a bar with karaoke. You really perform."Friday and Saturday are the big karaoke nights at the Pit Stop Warehouse, which is Kinsinger’s favorite stage these days. "It’s the only karaoke bar for 150 miles," Kinsinger, of Luverne, said. Kinsinger doesn’t drink, so karaoke has proven itself to be a cheap pastime."I’ve paid money to see people sing, and these people were much better," Kinsinger said of the latest contest at the Pit Stop. Ken Moe, Pit Stop Warehouse owner, said, "We had people in this contest who, with the right timing and right marketing, could be on any juke box in the country."The Warehouse is designed to be good for performing and viewing karaoke, with a professional sound system, stage and lighting setup.This contest drew people from a 100-mile radius to compete and watch. The bar is planning another Warehouse Idol in September.Kinsinger said, "I had a lot of fun for eight weeks and it was the best of what I’ve heard in the area." A lot of people think highly of Kinsinger’s crooning. Dave Gangestad, Luverne, often asks (and sometimes tips) Kinsinger to sing his favorite song "Old Time Rock ’n Roll." Gangestad said, "He does it better than Bob Seger."The song that clinched the contest in Valley Springs for Kinsinger was AC/DC’s "You Shook Me All Night Long."Kinsinger said, "I’m not much for country, but I can sing some old George Jones. I just don’t have the twang for most of it."The second-place finisher at the contest sang a country song and earned $500.In the past Kinsinger enjoyed time in rock bands as a drummer and backup singer. Now he can perform without having to get a band together. … And he gets the lead.He said that being good at karaoke carries as much clout as other types of performances."Music is music. That’s the way I’ve figured it."

By John RittenhouseArea drivers notched four feature victories on area racing ovals late last week.Modified drivers drew checkered flags at different tracks on Thursday and Friday.Street stock and hobby stock feature events went to local talent during Friday’s races at Rapid Speedway in Rock Rapids, Iowa.Luverne’s Mike Steensma came up with the first win of the run at Jackson Speedway Thursday.Racing in the first of three nights at the Jackson Nationals, Steensma won the A modified feature.Marlin Kracht, another Luverne modified driver, claimed the feature title during Friday’s races at Murray County Speedway in Slayton.Luverne’s Chad Overgaard and Steen’s Bill Kroon won feature events at Rapid Speedway Friday.After placing second in the first heat race of the late model street stock class, Overgaard placed first in the A feature.Kroon followed up a fourth-place finish in the first heat race of the hobby stock division with a victory in the A feature.Luverne’s Anthony Mann won the first heat race in street stock competition at Rapid Speedway Friday, while Luverne’s Jesse Akkerman took the checkered flag in the first street stock heat race at Lake County Speedway in Madison, S.D., Saturday.Here is a look at the results turned in by area drivers last weekend. No results from Nobles County Speedway in Worthington were available.Jackson SpeedwayJacksonThursday’s resultsA modified: Steensma, Luverne, first in A feature.Murray County SpeedwaySlaytonFriday’s resultsB modified: Joel Elbers, Luverne, sixth in first heat and sixth in A feature.Street stock: Colter Deutsch, Kanaranzi, second in second heat and fifth in A feature.A modified: Steensma, Luverne, second in first heat and ninth in A feature; Kracht, Luverne, seventh in first heat and first in A feature; Brett DeJager, Luverne, fourth in second heat and fourth in A feature.Rapid SpeedwayRock Rapids, IowaFriday’s resultsStreet stock: Mann, Luverne, first in first heat and second in A feature; C.Overgaard, Luverne, second in first heat and first in A feature; Scott Overgaard, Luverne, third in first heat and fourth in A feature.Sportsmen: Greg Roemen, Ellsworth, fourth in first heat and fourth in A feature; Andy Gabrielson, Luverne, fifth in first heat and third in A feature.Hobby stock: Kroon, Steen, fourth in first heat and first in A feature; Mike Buss, Luverne, fifth in first heat and third in A feature; Nick Van Belle, Luverne, sixth in second heat and 13th in A feature.Factory Stock: Greg Vande Velde, Luverne, third in first heat and third in A feature; Ron McClure, Luverne, fifth in second heat and 11th in A feature.Lake County SpeedwayMadison, S.D.Saturday’s resultsStreet stock: Akkerman, Luverne, first in second heat and eighth in A feature.Huset’s SpeedwayBrandon, S.D.Sunday’s resultsStreet stock: Akkerman, Luverne, fourth in second heat and seventh in A feature.Hobby stock: Tom Cauwels, Luverne, fourth in second heat and second in A feature.

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne Redbirds gained momentum heading into the Gopher League Playoffs by winning four games in a five-day span.Luverne posted home wins over Hadley Wednesday, July 12, and Thursday against Adrian before notching a victory in Fairmont Saturday. The Redbirds capped an 11-11 regular season by besting Windom in Luverne Sunday.The Redbirds drew the second seed for the Gopher League Playoffs. Luverne hosts Pipestone or Hadley at 7:30 p.m. Friday.Luverne 5, Windom 1The Redbirds completed their run of wins Sunday by besting Windom by four runs in Luverne.Jared Pick pitched six and one-third innings of one-run ball to pick up the win, and Mike Wenninger belted a two-run homer to lead the Redbirds to victory.Pick fanned nine batters, walked two and surrendered nine hits. The run he was charged with was unearned.Wenninger, who recorded the final two outs in relief of Pick, delivered his two-run shot to snap a tie at one in the third inning.Tony Sandbulte walked and scored on a passed ball to give the hosts a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first, but Windom tied the game in the second inning.Sandbulte walked before Luverne moved in front to stay with Wenninger’s blast in the third.Pick singled home a run in the fourth inning and Adam Kurtz singled and scored the game’s final run on a passed ball in the sixth.Box score AB R H BISandbulte 1 2 0 0Studer 2 0 0 0Wysong 3 0 1 0Wenninger 3 1 2 2Eernisse 2 0 0 0Boen 1 0 0 0Kurtz 3 2 2 0Fisher 1 0 0 0Cote 1 0 0 0Fodness 3 0 0 0Pick 3 0 2 1Luverne 5, Fairmont 2The Redbirds scored four runs in the top half of the first inning and never lost the lead during Saturday’s game in Fairmont.James Fisher and Rob Fodness slapped run-scoring singles, Wyatt Cote received an RBI for a fielder’s choice and Terry Eernisse scored on a passed ball to give Luverne a 4-0 lead in the first.Fairmont sliced Luverne’s lead in half (4-2) by plating single runs in the third and fifth innings, but Cote singled and scored on a fielder’s choice by Pick in the top of the sixth to cap the scoring for the Redbirds.Fodness yielded two earned runs over the first five innings to pick up the pitching victory. He walked four batters, yielded five hits and recorded four strikeouts. Kurtz earned a save by pitching two innings of one-walk, one-hit relief.Box score AB R H BIPick 3 0 0 1Edstrom 3 1 0 0Eernisse 3 1 0 0Fisher 4 1 2 1Kurtz 3 1 0 0Shelton 2 0 0 0Cote 3 1 1 1Fodness 2 0 2 1Schmidt 2 0 1 0Luverne 5, Adrian 1Kurtz tossed a complete game, and four different Redbirds drove in runs to highlight Luverne’s four-run home win over Adrian Thursday.Adrian plated one unearned run in the top of the fourth inning to gain an early lead.Kurtz blanked the A’s over the final five frames, finishing the game with four strikeouts while yielding five walks and three hits.A four-run rally featuring run-scoring singles by Fodness, Jesse Kuhlman and Sandbulte and an RBI ground out by Jake Studer put Luverne in front in the sixth inning.Pick was hit by a pitch and scored the game’s final run on an error in the seventh.Box score AB R H BISandbulte 4 0 2 1Groen 1 0 0 0Studer 3 0 2 1Cote 1 0 0 0Wysong 4 0 0 0Wenninger 4 0 0 0Eernisse 4 1 0 0Kurtz 2 1 1 0Fodness 3 1 1 1Kuhlman 3 1 1 1Pick 2 0 0 0Luverne 11, Hadley 5The Redbirds snapped a seven-game losing streak when they bested the Buttermakers by six runs in Luverne July 12.Zach Wysong and Kurtz drove in a combined 10 runs at the plate and Pick tossed six strong innings to earn the pitching victory.Wysong, who hit a pair of home runs in the game, gave the Redbirds a 2-0 lead when he lifted the ball over the fence after Studer singled in the bottom of the first.Kurtz singled home two runs to make it a 4-0 game in the third inning before Hadley broke through for a pair of runs in the fourth to make it a 4-2 game.Kurtz capped a four-RBI game with his second two-run single in the fifth to give the hosts a 6-2 advantage.After Hadley plated one run in the top of the sixth, Wysong cracked a grand slam in the bottom of the game to wrap up a six-RBI effort and give the Redbirds a 10-3 cushion.Hadley scored its final two runs in the top of the seventh before Sandbulte capped the scoring with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh.Pick surrendered three runs (two were earned), three hits and two walks during his six-inning stint on the hill. He recorded four strikeouts. Wysong pitched three innings of two-earned run, three-hit, four-walk relief. Wysong fanned two batters.Box score AB R H BISandbulte 3 2 2 1Studer 3 3 1 0Wysong 3 3 2 6Eernisse 5 1 1 0Kurtz 5 0 2 4Fisher 3 0 0 0Cote 1 1 1 0Fodness 4 0 1 0Kuhlman 3 0 0 0Groen 1 0 0 0Pick 3 1 2 0

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne VFW baseball team passed its first test of the Third District Southern Division Playoffs Monday at Redbird Field.Playing Fulda in the opening round of the double-elimination tournament, Luverne moved into the winner’s bracket with a 12-2 victory.The win allows the 19-9 Cardinals to host another game when the tournament resumes tonight. Luverne tangles with Worthington at 6:30 p.m.It looked like the Cardinals would be in for a challenge when Fulda plated one run in the top of the first to gain an early lead, but Luverne assumed control of the contest moments later.With an offense led by two-RBI efforts from Zach Olson and Brent Dinger, the Cards scored nine runs in the first two innings to set the stage for a five-inning win.Dinger tripled home one run, Olson singled home another and Zach Clark drew a bases-loaded walk to highlight a four-run rally in the bottom of the first.A five-run surge featuring RBI doubles from Phil Paquette and Olson extended Luverne’s lead to 9-1.Dinger reached base on an error and scored on an error in the third inning, and Chris Den Hoed slapped an RBI single in the fourth to make it an 11-1 game before Fulda scored its final run in the top of the fifth.Dinger ended the contest when he cracked a lead-off home run over the left-field fence in the bottom of the fifth.Paquette tossed four innings of one-run, 10-strikeout ball to pick up the win. Adam Ossefoort surrendered one run and fanned three batters while pitching the fifth inning.Box score AB R H BIHoff 4 1 1 0Den Hoed 4 1 1 1Paquette 4 1 1 1Dinger 4 3 2 2Olson 3 2 2 2Skattum 3 2 0 0Ossefoort 1 0 0 0Altman 1 0 0 0Graphenteen 1 1 1 0D.Van Santen 1 1 1 0Clark 1 0 0 1Christensen 1 0 0 0

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne American Legion team played some of its best baseball of the summer season during the Sub-District Tournament in Pipestone last weekend.After a less-than-impressive 2-9 regular season, the Cardinals went 3-1 and placed third during the sub-district event played Saturday and Sunday.By placing third over the weekend, Luverne locked up a berth in the Second District Division 2 American Legion Tournament that begins Friday in New Ulm.The Cards play Blue Earth in a first-round game of the double-elimination tournament at 11 a.m.Luverne 14, Slayton 3Luverne locked up third place in the sub-district by defeating Slayton for the second time in the tournament Saturday afternoon.The score was tied at three after four innings of play, but the Cardinals plated 11 unanswered runs in the final three innings to win handily.A four-run fifth inning featuring a two-run single from Seth Goembel put the Cards in front 7-3.Tyler Reisch drove in two runs with a single and Zach Olson picked up an RBI for a ground out when Luverne scored three times in the sixth to make it a 10-3 difference.Chris Fitzer’s two-run double sparked a four-run rally in the seventh to cap the scoring.Luverne led 2-1 when Derek Elbers chased home a run with a ground out and Caleb Bruynes delivered a run-scoring single in the top of the second.The Cards led 3-2 when Bruynes singled home a run in the top of the fourth, but Slayton knotted the score at three in the bottom half of the inning.Micah Boomgaarden went the distance on the hill to pick up the win. He surrendered nine hits and three runs in seven innings.Box score AB R H BIBoomgaarden 4 1 1 0Fitzer 4 2 1 2Paquette 4 3 3 0Reisch 5 2 2 2Olson 4 2 0 1Goembel 5 1 2 2Elbers 4 0 1 1Bruynes 3 1 2 2Richters 3 2 0 0Luverne 12, Okabena 7A fast start led the Cards to a five-run win over Okabena during an elimination game played Saturday morning.Luverne scored seven runs in the first two innings and withstood a challenge from Okabena by plating five more runs late in the contest.Run-scoring singles from Phil Paquette, Reisch and Elbers, along with an RBI double by Bruynes, gave the Cards a 4-0 cushion in the bottom of the first.Paquette doubled home two runs and Goembel added an RBI single to make it 7-0 in the second, but Okabena countered with four runs in the third inning and two in the fourth to trail 7-6.Luverne iced the contest by scoring three runs in the bottom of the fourth and two in the fifth.Paquette slapped an RBI double, Elbers singled home one run and Goembel chased home another with a ground out to make it a 10-6 game in the fourth.Paquette’s two-run single in the fifth capped the scoring for the Cards.Bruynes pitched seven innings of 11-strikeout ball to earn the win.Box score AB R H BIBoomgaarden 3 3 1 0Fitzer 4 1 1 0Paquette 4 3 4 5Reisch 4 2 2 1Elbers 3 1 0 1Goembel 4 0 1 2Bruynes 4 0 1 1Richters 4 0 1 0Ossefoort 3 2 1 0Pipestone 13, Luverne 3Tournament champion Pipestone saddled the Cards with their lone loss of the event during a game played Friday night.Luverne led 1-0 when Reisch singled home a run in the top of the first, but Pipestone scored six times in the bottom of the second and never lost the lead after that point.Seth Goembel’s two-run double in the top of the fourth trimmed Pipestone’s advantage to three runs (6-3).The hosts responded by scoring twice in the bottom of the fourth and five times in the fifth to win by the 10-run rule.Jake Clark yielded seven runs in two-plus innings to take the pitching loss. Andrew DeBoer tossed three innings of six-run ball in relief of Clark.Box score AB R H BIClark 1 1 0 0DeBoer 1 0 0 0Boomgaarden 3 0 0 0Fitzer 2 0 1 0Reisch 3 0 1 1Boelman 3 1 0 0Nath 2 1 0 0Goembel 2 0 1 2Bruynes 2 0 0 0Richters 1 0 0 0Elbers 0 0 0 0Luverne 11, Slayton 10The Cardinals survived a late challenge to nip Slayton by one run during the tournament opener Friday afternoon.Trailing 5-4 after three innings of play, Luverne put together a seven-run sixth inning featuring a two-run double from Reisch, an RBI triple by Goembel, an RBI double by Paquette and run-scoring singles from Marc Boelman and Clark to gain an 11-5 advantage.Slayton rallied to score five times in the bottom of the seventh and had the potential tying run at second base when the final out of the game was recorded.Reisch doubled home a run in the first and Bruynes singled home a counter in the second to make it a 2-0 game before Slayton scored once in the bottom of the second.Reisch tripled and scored on an error before Goembel slapped a run-scoring single to make it a 4-1 game in the top of the third, but Slayton moved in front 5-4 with a four-run rally in the bottom of the third.Chris Fitzer earned the pitching win after tossing two innings of five-run ball in relief of Ben Nath. Nath worked the first five innings and allowed five runs.Box score AB R H BIClark 5 2 3 1Elbers 5 1 1 0Boelman 5 1 1 1Reisch 5 2 4 3DeBoer 3 1 0 1Paquette 2 1 1 1Nath 3 0 0 0Fitzer 1 0 0 0Goembel 4 2 3 1Richters 3 1 0 0Bruynes 4 0 2 1

DISTRICT COURTPROBATE DIVISIONFIFTH JUDICIAL DISTRICTNOTICE AND ORDER OF HEARING ON PETITION FOR PROBATE OF WILL AND APPOINTMENT OF PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORSSTATE OF MINNESOTACOUNTY OF ROCKESTATE OF Alvin P. Hofkamp DECEDENTIt is Ordered and Notice is given that on August 14, 2006, at 3:30 p.m. a hearing will be held in this Court at the Rock County Courthouse, 204 East Brown, Luverne, Minnesota, for the formal probate of an instrument purporting to be the will of Decedent, dated July 20, 1984, and codicil (N/A) to the will dated N/A, and separate writing (N/A) under Minn. Stat. 523.2-513 ("Will"), and for the appointment of Rodney Bonander whose address is: Box 487, Hills, Minnesota 56187 as personal representative of the Estate of the Decedent in an UNSUPERVISED administration. Any objections to the petition must be filed with the Court prior to or raised at the hearing. If proper and if no objections are filed or raised, the personal representative will be appointed with full power to administer the Estate, including the power to collect all assets, pay all legal debts, claims, taxes and expenses, to sell real and personal property, and do all necessary acts for the Estate. Notice is also given that (subject to Minn. Stat. 524.3-801) all creditors having claims against the Estate are required to present the claims to the personal representative or to the Court Administrator within four months after the date of this Notice or the claims will be barred. /s/ Timothy K. Connell 7/12/06Timothy K. Connell Judge Date/s/ Sandra L. Vrtacnik 7/12/06Sandra L. Vrtacnik Court Administrator DateAttorney For Personal RepresentativeDonald R. KlosterbuerKlosterbuer & Haubrich, LLP120 N. McKenzieBox 538Luverne, MN 56156-0538507-283-911156674(7-20, 7-27)

MINNESOTA SECRETARY OF STATECERTIFICATE OF ASSUMED NAMEMinnesota Statutes Chapter 333The filing of an assumed name does not provide a user with exclusive rights to that name. The filing is required for consumer protection in order to enable consumers to be able to identity the true owner of a business. 1. State the exact assumed name under which the business is or will be conducted:Pro Water Systems2. State the address of the principal place of business. A complete street address or rural route and rural route box number is required; the address cannot be a P.O. Box.101 E. Barck Luverne MN 561563. List the name and complete street address of all persons conducting business under the above Assumed Name or if the business is a corporation, provide the legal corporate name and registered office address of the corporation.Patrick T. Baustian 101 E, Barck Luverne MN 561564. I certify that I am authorized to sign this certificate and I further certify that I understand that by signing this certificate, I am subject to the penalties of perjury as set forth in Minnesota Statutes section 609.48 as if I had signed this certificate under oath./s/ Patrick T. Baustian5 May 06 Patrick T. Baustian Owner Date Patrick T. Baustian 507-283-4180Contact Person Daytime Phone Number(7-20, 7-27)

Midwest Wireless proposes to construct a 195-foot tall self-support communications tower with an adjacent equipment shelter in the Interstate 90 (north side of road) and County Road 6 (west side of road) area of Right-of-way east of Beaver Creek, MN 56116, in Rock County. If you are concerned about the effect this tower may have on Historic Properties, please write to: Mel Stafford, Trileaf Corp., 616 Billy Sunday Road, Suite 100, Ames, IA, 50010, 515-233-4282. Please include the Tower Location and the location of the historic resource that you believe might be affected.(7-20. 7-27, 8-3)

Midwest Wireless proposes to construct a 195-foot tall self-support communications tower with an adjacent equipment shelter in the Interstate 90 (north side of road) and County Road 6 (west side of road) area of Right-of-way east of Beaver Creek, MN 56116, in Rock County. If you are concerned about the effect this tower may have on Historic Properties, please write to: Mel Stafford, Trileaf Corp., 616 Billy Sunday Road, Suite 100, Ames, IA, 50010, 515-233-4282. Please include the Tower Location and the location of the historic resource that you believe might be affected.(7-20. 7-27, 8-3)